This might be my favorite recording of all time:
The Stooges did “Open Up & Bleed” at the tail end of the band’s career, after Raw Power flopped. They held onto their trademark heavy, ominous sound, but there’s an edge of despair and defeat that the albums never had; you can almost hear the band coming apart. Still, there’s a strange beauty to it.
There never was an official studio version of the song, just some rehearsal tapes and concert bootlegs. The “California Bleeding” CD has a bluesy 12-minute-long take recorded at the Whiskey a Go Go in 1973; it’s worth seeking out if you like this one.
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